"Where is Linux the most popular, and where are the different Linux distributions the most popular?". Pingdom has taken a stab at answering this question using the Google Insights for Search. Read on for our observations on the results.

Remember folks, a computer is only a tool to get a job accomplished...

For some, their computer is a lifestyle statement.

People haven't suddenly fallen in love with MacOS X - they've fallen in love with the product called Mac.

This discussion is supposed to concern the geography of Linux popularity, not Mac OSX.

The operating system and hardware are viewed as one in the same - a symbiotic relationship.

Well, a lot of naive Apple fans have such a view. Such a notion is obviously inaccurate.

How many end users actually purchase their computer based on the operating system it runs?

Probably most people. People know the difference between OSs.

the question I see end users ask isn't "does it run Windows" or "does it run MacOS X" - its always, "does it run [name of software]".

I have rarely heard anyone asking either of these very basic questions, because the answer is usually obvious if one has already used the desired software and/or OS.

As for the third world; the third world will eventually drop the 'poor mans' operating system once they have more money.

Is that a reference to Linux as a cheaper, inferior OS? Linux is certainly cheaper than proprietary OSs such as OSX and Windows, but it is definitely not inferior to them.

A more apt reference would portray Linux as the "smart man's" OS.

Just like a customer who starts buying name brand food as soon as they get a pay rise - the same can be said once the third world moves to first world, and want all the trappings of the first world lifestyle.

So, the computer is actually more than just "a tool to get a job accomplished?"

People using Linux are generally not prone to the myth that "switching" to OSX or Windows will improve their lifestyle (nor the perception of their lifestyle).

Linux offers a lot that proprietary OSs don't, and most who try to switch will miss those Linux advantages. Even Microsoft knows this, hence, their original fear of the Linux OLPC with their subsequent takeover of the OLPC's OS.

How is that any different to a person who lives in a cardboard box, has enough money to move out - are they really going to continue to live in a cardboard box when they can buy a better place?

Perhaps because they realize that OSX and Windows are not a "better place" than Linux. Inaccurate analogy.

This fixation on the 'low end market' is eventually going to dry up as that 'low end market' starts merging into the market where people want more than just the 'bare minimum, good enough' solution.

Then someone should tell Microsoft not to bother trying to indoctrinate the "low end markets."

Linux is a robust, world-class OS, and all OSs have plenty of problems. There is just no substance to the portrayal of Linux as a "bare minimum, good enough solution," compared to OSX or Windows.